


Business as Usual

by AJshook



Series: The Lightweaver Chronicles [3]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJshook/pseuds/AJshook
Summary: Nara returns home after the battle of Darkshore only to be met with bureaucratic politics and more headaches. Her long time lover, Fe'Lana offers what comfort she can but also brings a pile of other issues to Nara's attention. So basically, just another inescapable Tuesday for the head of House Lightweaver.
Relationships: Original Characters - Relationship
Series: The Lightweaver Chronicles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780693
Kudos: 1





	Business as Usual

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short story I wrote to fill in a time gap between my RP group's World of Warcraft Campaign. It’s the first story to feature my Blood Elf Paladin, Ada’nara Lightweaver, the oldest Lightweaver sibling. Like many of my WoW shorts, it was written for my RP group so, much of the details are left out since the group knows everything that’s happened to Nara leading up to this moment. If you’d like to know some of the details surrounding what happened, send me an ask and I’d be happy to fill it in for you or maybe it'll inspire me to write a detailed account for you!

Nara wanted to be home earlier, but the higher ups made her jump through hoops as if she were still a novice. Her support and alliance with House Windfire had not gone unnoticed. The nobles were angry and worse -- petty. Even after she’d become independent from Aarias, Nara had never had to go through the bureaucracy she did today. And all because her sister had not only spoken out against Sylvanas but also was planning to marry high above her expected station. As brazen as the first was, Nara suspected it was the latter that was causing her such a headache today. A Lady of her title and reputation should have never been given this much inconvenience. Her noble house was small but well respected. Nara wouldn’t allow them to feel her frustration, instead she turned the frustrations on the poor clerks. She didn’t complain, as they probably expected her to, though. Nara wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. 

No, she took her time sifting through each paper, and questioning every single document they dropped in her lap. It had been a battle of wills, and Nara didn’t lose those lightly -- she refused. The closer the office came to closing, the more frantic and curt the clerks grew. Nara understood the desire to go home. She was feeling it herself, sitting in a cold, dank office, surrounded by stuffy clerks and piles of paper. She was not going to allow them to arrive home on time for dinner -- she’d missed her’s, thanks to them. 

Nara was not going to sign her life away just because she was eager to get home to Fe’lana. Apart from that, she wasn’t naive enough to believe that some of the more established Lords hadn’t slipped some retribution into the fine print. She knew well enough that a minor inconvenience in paperwork was not worth their time. 

There was always more. 

Kaivus had slighted their daughters for Lene -- a woman far below his station with a reputation for being obstinate in the face of courtship. Nara agreed that the sudden flip seemed suspicious to those who didn’t know the pair, but she was still in open support of the union. Her sister was happy and Nara wasn’t going to question Lene's choice, not after all she'd been through the past year. 

Not that Lene would listen to her. 

In return for her sisterly support, the nobility wasn’t going to be satisfied to make Nara miss only one meal. As she combed through the documents, she was disappointed to see her expectations staring back up at her. She’d been right, of course, there were sub agreements designed just for her. Ones that would make her pay out of her own pocket to the families of the deceased, or charge her some exuberant fine for not filling out the forms correctly. 

_Typical._

Only After Nara signed the last form did she allow the clerks to chase her out the door, but not before Nara watched them review and approve the changes to every. Single. Document. The nobility might get to her one day, but she’d be damned if they were going to do it hiding behind a piece of paper. They’d meet her with a sword or not at all. 

By the time she returned to the estate, the sun had been long set. She climbed the stairs to her home and watched glowing mana wyrms weave through the tall grasses surrounding the manicured lawn. Off in the distance Nara could hear a pair of springpaw lynx fighting. Further towards the city center, Nara could see the lights of estate spires lighting up the sky as parties to welcome home the soldiers were in full swing. The air was humid, but clean and fresh as she breathed deep. Her home was silent and separated from the revitalized war; Nara was glad to be away from it and the Alliance seemed content to leave Silvermoon alone as they always had. 

But after Teldrassil she suspected that may change. Sin’dorei had been there, had fought. 

She could still feel the flames on her face and hear the screams of the Kal’dorei civilians scrambling towards the water as they abandoned their homes. Nara had seen quite a few horrors in her time on the frontlines, but never had she been the cause of them. It was the first time Nara truly felt shame for who she was and who she fought for. Women, children, healers, and merchants burning and dead for no reason other than a Warchief’s pipeline dream of a Horde continent. 

Nara had tried to search for her sister, Leya, knowing she had been living in Darnassus even after the loss of her Kal’dorei husband. Nara had tried to send her word as her orders had become clearer on her march to Darkshore, but there had never been a safe moment to see the message sent. Her search for Leya had been interrupted and turned back to the battle when a guardian druid decided to engage her on the field. Fighting druids was always dangerous but the rage and grief that Nara saw in this one’s eyes made him nearly unstoppable a part of Nara wanted to lay her sword down and accept defeat. In that battle she’d deserved the loss. 

It had taken most of her mana and all of her determination to walk away from that fight alive. 

When Nara did catch sight of Leya, her sister was perched near the docks, protecting civilians as they fled. She stared through her bow at Nara with her arrow nocked and her body teeming with Void corruption. To Nara’s surprise, neither Leya nor her cat had pursued her and instead, Leya lowered her bow once the druid had been safely removed from the field. Despite it all, Nara had been glad to see her littlest sister alive. 

Then there was that small glimpse of Arivath she’d caught in her retreat. 

Nara shoved the memories aside and pushed on the heavy oaken door.The scent of cooked meat and herbs filled her home. Nara’s stomach turned as the stench hit her. She tore her gauntlets off her hands as Lendin came rushing to the foyer with a glass of wine and a warm towel. 

Lendin should have been home by now. “I have told you a thousand times not to wait up for me.” 

“It would have been most negligent of me _not_ to, Lady Ada’Nara.” 

Nara took the warm cloth and wiped the travel off her face. “You are anything but negligent.” Nara dropped her satchel of items on the floor and tossed her gauntlets on top of it. 

“Good, My Lady.” A small, proud smile tugged at Lendin’s usually stoic features. “I’ll wake the girls and have them run you a bath.” 

Nara dismissed the idea. “You won’t. I can run my own bath at this hour.” 

“Then I shall be right up with a plate of food for you.” Nara shot Lendin a glare, but the old butler maintained his smile and waited for her to challenge him again. “Fine.” She relented, “No meat.” 

Lendin bowed his head in agreement and victory. “Very well.” 

Nara stepped out of the Foyer and headed towards the stairs that led to the upper chambers. “Fe’lana?” 

“The Mistress has been in the study for most of the evening. When your company arrived in the city with the rest of the troops, the House was suddenly flooded with news and conflicting reports. She’s sorting through them.” 

“And Kaithia?” 

“Still in Northrend, My Lady.” 

That girl was going to be the death of her. “Thank you, Lendin. Now if you would, _please_ get some sleep.” Nara turned towards the stairwell and Lendin stopped her once more with a clearing of his throat. “ _Yes_ , Lendin?” 

“Is everything well, Lady Ada’Nara? With the war, I mean.” 

“No, Lendin. Our new Warcheif makes past battles look like skirmishes. Pray the boy king respects Lor’themar and Liadrin enough to leave Silvermoon untouched. I’ll give the whole household a talk in the morning, but for now, for the love of the Naaru, _rest_.” 

He nodded and went off to the kitchen to prepare the largest salad she’d ever seen, Nara suspected. She climbed the stairway to her room, her fingers slid beneath her armor to loosen the heavy metal pauldrons on her shoulder. She pushed the door to her room open with a soft kick of her foot. It was dimly lit and Nara could smell the bath Fe had had drawn for her. It was sweetened with Lavender and honey. 

Fe’s favorite. 

Nara could do without. 

There was a vase of vivid red roses in the corner of her room. Nara smirked, Fe hadn’t bothered to look up from Nara’s desk. Her black hair was loose around her shoulders, but still neatly brushed and pinned behind her ears. Her golden eyes were focused on a document in her hands and she chewed on her lip as she mulled over whatever information she was reading. To either side of her, she had stacks of letters neatly organized on every corner. Probably sorted into labeled piles from “true” to “false” and everything in between. 

Nara set the pauldrons neatly on the armor stand near the door. “No ecstatic proclamation of worry?” 

Fe set her pair of glasses onto the desk and leaned back in Nara’s large wooden chair. She folded her hands in her lap and quirked a brow at her long time lover. “Last time I did, you said it was too much.” 

“Now it’s too little.” 

“ _You’re_ too little.” 

Nara snorted, “Clever.” She watched a wry smile twist across Fe’s face as she rose up from her chair and strode across the room. Fe hadn’t been born a noble but she carried herself with a poise Nara could never manage to duplicate. According to Fe’, Nara marched like a soldier no matter where she went, and walking beside her was like walking into battle -- everyday. 

“You deserve it for being late. Darling, really, what do you want me to be: impartial at your coming home or a delighted school girl?” 

“You should be delightedly impartial.” 

“I give up.” Her slender fingers wrapped around each side of Nara’s face and pulled her into a kiss. Nara held her close and breathed in deep the scent of snow. She didn’t know how Fe pulled it off but she always smelled of fresh snow. It had made every night in Northrend unbearable. “Let’s get you out of this armor. It’s like hugging a sweaty pet rock.” Fe bounced her manicured nails off Nara’s battered bronze chest plate and found one of the leather straps and unhinged it. Even though Fe had never worn amor in her life, she could unhinge and untie every piece of Nara’s plate faster than she could. 

“I thought you liked me in my armor?” Nara began unstrapping the arm guards and greaves, setting each piece in its proper place. 

“I like you _out of it_ more. Turn around.” Nara was soon down to a linen shirt and a pair of brown leather pants. The warm night air that slipped through the open window reached Nara and sent a shiver up her spine. Fe’s fingernails caressed across a fresh jagged scar that peeked out from the collar of Nara’s undershirt with a frown. 

“A druid.” Nara looked at her plate, all neatly set upon its stand, waiting for more use. She sighed and rolled her shoulders, happy to be rid of it for now. 

“One day, someone is going to take a part of you I like.” 

“A part? Like my face?” Nara gestured to the scar that ripped across the side of her face. 

“No, I can live without that.” 

“Well, _I_ can’t.” 

“Details, My Dear. Details.” Fe slipped behind Nara and wrapped her fingers in the linen lacing that kept Nara’s shirt secured and pulled it free. She pressed a warm kiss against Nara’s neck and slipped her hands beneath her shirt. She found what she was looking for and a small jolt of arcane cold prickled along Nara’s skin. She shivered, and her cheeks flushed as Fe’s fingers took advantage of her body’s reaction to the cold with soft scratches and a firm pinch. “These are what I can’t live without.” Nara pressed into the touch of Fe’s finger as they slipped beneath the hem her pants and pressed between her legs “And definitely this.” 

Nara could only take so much. She grabbed Fe by the waist, who gave an uncharacteristic giggle as Nara found the string that held her gown together and yanked it free, sending the garment fluttering about her ankles. There wasn’t much that Nara missed more than ruining all of the preparation Fe put into her day-to-day dress. Especially that perfectly pinned hair. Nara wrapped her fingers in her thick black curls and pulled Fe down so that their lips met in a deep, impassioned kiss. After all those years, the touch of Fe’s lips against her own never got old. Her mother had sworn she’d grow bored; however, Nara found Fe to be anything but. Fe stumbled out of her dress to keep up with Nara’s quick march towards the bed. 

Tomorrow there’d be war, but for now there was just the two of them in this quiet room, separated from everything beyond it. It was all Nara needed to push the memories of recent events aside. The two of them fell -- at Nara’s insistence -- into the plush mattress and silk sheets. With Fe’Lana’s warm, unscarred body pressed against her’s, Nara was home. 

There was a brief pause in their scramble towards undress. Fe gently pushed Nara away. Nara sat up on her elbows and looked down at Fe, chest heaving and hair disheveled around her face, and she smiled. Fe’ touched her scarred face and tucked thin orange locks behind Nara’s ear. “That’s what I wanted.” 

“That’s all?” Nara caressed Fe’s cheek and smoothed her hand over her hair. As she did, Fe wrapped her legs around Nara’s waist and Nara let herself be rolled onto her back. Fe’s ebon locks spilled across her shoulders in messy disarray and icy arcane magic flared at her fingertips before rippling across Nara’s body. 

“Oh no, my Darling. You know I am far more insatiable than that.” Fe caught Nara’s lips as her body shied from the brush of her cold hands. It was short lived as Fe’s lips grew bored of kisses and found other areas of her body to kiss and bite. Nara was paralyzed beneath the press of her lover’s body against hers, only her hand found the strength to hold her. The stillness of her body wasn’t broken until Fe’ disappeared between Nara’s thighs and her hips arched into the press of Fe’s mouth. 

~ ~ ~ 

The feeling of a piece of paper running along the bridge of her nose drew Nara from sleep. She awoke with a jolt, the stench of blight stuffed up her nose and the sound of children screaming ringing in her ears. As she opened her eyes she saw a blurry image of Leya glaring down at her. Startled, Nara gasped and pressed back into the mattress and her heart pounded against her chest. As the nightmare subsided, Leya’s angry face faded, and was replaced by envelope hovering above her. She blinked a few times as Arivath’s precise and clean handwriting came into focus. 

_The letter._

Nara smacked it away and tried to close her eyes, but the letter came back to her and dropped on her chest. “You have to read it eventually, Darling.” She heard Fe from her place beneath the covers. Nara groaned and picked up the letter and looked at it. She flipped it over to see that it was still unopened. 

Fe's restraint was immeasurable. 

Fe reached out and squeezed Nara’s shoulder. Nara sat up in the bed and the blankets fell around her waist. The morning sun warmed her as she flipped the envelope back over. “I can tell you exactly what this letter says.” 

“Oh?” 

Nara nodded and looked at the way Ari had written her name. He had definitely been drinking. She hated that even drink his handwriting was better than hers. She snorted, “Nara, I’m really drunk right now, but I thought it'd be a good time to tell you: You’re a twat. All the best, Ari.” 

“Well.” Fe said as she curled up beside Nara, forcing Nara to wrap her arm around her while Fe's own slid around her waist and caressed her thigh. “If it makes you feel better you do have a very delicious twat, My Dear.” 

Nara pulled away slightly, and gave Fe an incredulous look, “What…?” 

“Ada’Lene.” 

“ _Ok._ ” 

“Perhaps Arivath will defy your expectations this time. He _did_ bring a girl home through the front door this time. A shame I wasn’t there -- I would have loved to see it. Arivath in a committed relationship? That has to count for something, My Darling.” Nara pinched the bridge of her nose but remained quiet. Fe drew close to her again and brushed her hand through Nara’s hair. “You almost lost him in Helheim. You were in tears when you returned home. Why won’t you open the letter?” 

“The contents of this letter may not matter anymore.” Nara said with a sigh, though her voice still retained that stalwart evenness. “I’ve seen how the Void changes people. _You’ve_ seen it. My mother, Lene, Leya. They were all affected and it was more than suggestive whispers. Their personalities were twisted, my mother’s beyond recognition. Who knows what it’s done to Arivath. What I’ve done to him. If this letter is anything other than him being a drunken prick then I don’t really deserve it.” 

Fe took the letter from Nara and tore open the top of the envelop and gave it back, “This letter is from Arivath before the Void.” Nara took the letter from her, “If the Void has done anything to him, it’s not tainted by this letter. This is about as honest as you’ll ever get Arivath -- even if he is just being a fool. Which, I’ll admit, is highly likely. Give yourself some peace of mind and read. If he’s being a fool then you’ll at least have the satisfaction of knowing you were right.” 

Nara turned the letter over in her hand and pursed her lips. Fe had been insistent she read the letter from the time Nara had returned for Helheim. Then again, Fe had been a proponent of Arivath and Nara mending fences for quite some time. Fe knew how much Arivath meant to her, even if no one else did. He was her little brother, she remembered the day he was born and his first steps. She watched him grow in personality and skill, tried her best to protect him from Mother when that personality swung too far towards Father. And when he'd grown older he’d protected her as well. Even with their conflicting personalities, they’d loved each other and she had always been proud of him. 

Then Arthas came and overnight it all changed. 

Nara looked at Arivath’s handwriting once more. She traced the fluid lines of his penmanship and recalled the broken man she’d glimpsed at Darkshore. 

Could that man still write like this? 

She shook off the thought. That was not how she wanted to remember her brother, but it was the only image of him she could conjure. She’d worked so hard to try to protect him the best she could, and now she was the one who condemned him. Nara glanced at Fe, who gave her a slight nudge. She then removed the letter from the envelope and unfolded it as if it were so fragile it’d crumble if she were too rough. 

To the Prestigious Offices of the Prestigious General Lightweaver,  
Sorry. You know I can't resist being at least a little bit of a twat. Okay a lot a bit. 

Nara flipped the letter over to show Fe. Their golden eyes met and Fe’lana shrugged her shoulders. “To be fair, he is calling _himself_ a twat.” Nara kissed the side of Fe’s head before turning her attention back to the letter. 

But it's the middle of the night, I can't stay asleep, and I'm stuck somewhere between still drunk and hungover. I couldn't get that way you looked at me about Leya's transformation out of my head. You're such a professional at the disappointing older sister look, and it cut deep. Hela and I had a long talk about you and me tonight. It hit me pretty hard, and left me with one big question. How did we get here, Nara?  
How did I go from admiring the big sister who would carve wooden swords for me, to wondering if she hated me? I know you blame me for leaving home after father's death, for leaving the Farstriders, and now maybe worst of all, for Leya. For so many years I'd tossed the blame back at you. And Mother too. "If only they'd just came with me." I'd say. I never told you, but in truth, I'd hoped my leaving would pave the way for you to follow. I thought that if I left, my big sister would see how important getting away from Theron and his magisters was. 

It's amazing how much a mere fifteen years passing can make you look like a fool. Hindsight is a bitch like that.  
I was wrong in predicting you'd let our sisters be corrupted by the Fel. I should have known better. Trusted you to protect them like you used to protect me. I still don't back the choice you made to stay, but I should have believed in you. I should have found a way for us all to stay together.  
And I'm sorry.  
It took all this time for me to realize the pressures you were under. We all felt them at the loss of our home. But you were the heir, and we all looked to you first. Even mother. You had to make a choice for us all, and while I may never agree with it, I can at least understand why now, and the burden the choice put on you. 

I've never been good at these things. What I am trying to say is, I'm sorry for being such an ass over the centuries. I'm sorry we couldn't find a way to keep our family together. For not understanding the responsibilities put upon you. I could have been a better brother to you.  
I have Hela now though, she helps me put things in perspective. See the bigger picture. I guess living amongst the stars will do that to a person. I know you two didn't get along when you met, but when this is over, you'll have to talk to her under less dire circumstances. I honestly think you'd like her. It's hard not to. And... believe it or not Nara, I really do love her. More than anything. She's changed me for the better. She's why I even have the strength to write this letter.  
Maybe you two can give it another shot? Maybe you and I can too? 

When all this madness is over and we get back to Silvermoon, I want you to come out with me. Have some drinks like we used to. See if we can't heal the scars we inflicted upon each other. I know, it's a long shot. We might just start fighting again. But if we do, at least we'll have more alcohol in front of us. And we can say we tried.  
Hey, that one time we got drunk together in Silvermoon was one of our rare good times. Even you can't deny you had fun.  
Kidding aside. History aside. I hate where we are now, Big Sister, but I love you.  
Let's give this circus of a relationship another shot, yeah? 

Your Idiot Brother,  
\- Ari

Nara stared at the paper for a long time. Fe sat silent too, with her head propped up by Nara’s shoulder. Nara blinked away the tears and carefully refolded the letter and put it back in the envelope. She kissed the top of Fe’s head and wiped her eyes. “Satisfied?” 

“Mm. Quite.” 

“And what am I expected to do with this?” Nara asked. 

“There are options.” 

Nara shook her head and slid out from beneath the warm blankets and set the letter on her end table before she grabbed a fresh linen shirt and pulled it over her head, hiding all of the scars that covered her body from shoulder to navel. She brushed a hand through her hair as she took up a pair of riding breeches and pulled them on. “What options? No one knows where he is, and if Lene does, she’s not telling anyone. If I can’t find him, I can’t talk to him. At this point, he may not care to hear it.” 

“Arivath will turn up. He always does.” 

Nara paused while putting on her riding gloves. Arivath could go years without speaking to her, but he’d turn up at Lene’s eventually. And after Helheim, she doubted that her sister would let Arivath leave without at least trying to trick him into meeting with her. As meddlesome as Lene could be, at the moment Nara was glad for it. Her nonsense might be the quickest way of seeing Arivath. She scratched the thick scars on her cheek before she tugged the supple leather over her hands. “I know.” She added and sat on the bed to pull on her boots. 

Fe slithered across the sheets and slipped her arms around Nara’s waist and kissed her cheek. “It will work out, Darling.” 

“You always say that.” 

“And I have never been wrong.” 

Nara gave Fe a soft kiss. “I’ll see you tonight?” 

“I won’t be having you for lunch?” Her disappointment was apparent in the immediate scowl that followed her words. Nara hated disappointing her, but with so much happening in Silvermoon, Nara didn’t have time to enjoy herself. She barely had time for this moment. 

“Not today. I have a lot to catch up on at the stables; then I am going to have lunch with Lene to see how much she and Kaivus intend to aggravate the rest of the nobility. Maybe get a location on Arivath if I’m lucky. After what I am sure is to be a rousing discussion, I will be in meetings with other nobles to try and salvage what relations I can. I don’t imagine I’ll make it home until the evening.” 

“Oh Darling, your brain is still a soldier -- you’ve completely missed my extraordinary wordplay.” 

Nara rose from the bed with a small smile. “No, I caught it. I just chose to ignore it. Why play into a fantasy I can’t partake in?” 

“My darling Lightweaver is all business when the sun rises.” Fe’s sigh was heavy as she leaned against the headboard and combed through her thick black locks. “But if you weren’t I wouldn’t love you so much. I suppose I’ll get the house’s finances in order then. You realize we’re over budget on training since you imported those Dreamrunners from the Broken Isles? They’re more spirited than the standard Destrier and are going to need a more experienced hand when they’re of age. They’ve already broken a few ribs.” 

“I’m aware, but until we can start training the yearlings and selling them, you’re going to have to expect that. I was hoping to have Kai trained enough to work with the Dreamrunners -- I’ll take care of them personally and start interviews for extra hands within the week. I am sure your beautiful brain can rebudget the books in record time.” She gave Fe a kiss on the forehead and strode towards the door. “I’ll see you tonight.” 


End file.
